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Loeb continues rally dominance with Rally Finland triumph

August 3, 2012

Sebastien Loeb won for the 73rd time on the World Rally Stage on Saturday in Finland. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Citroën's Sébastien Loeb won his third victory on Finnish soil following a near-perfect drive on this weekend's Rally Finland, round eight of the World Rally Championship. The win was No. 73 in Loeb's WRC career.

Mikko Hirvonen was locked in a gripping duel for the top spot, but the Finn lost precious seconds when he clipped his Citroën DS3 WRC on a tree during the final morning's opening stage. And Hirvonen was unable to catch his French teammate on the rally's closing stages despite securing three points on the power stage. He finished 6.1 seconds behind Loeb.

“It's very satisfying to win here in Finland,” said Loeb. “It's a rally I didn't really expect to win, as it's always very difficult to beat the Finnish drivers on their home turf. We had a great fight with Mikko, and a one-two for Citroën is good for the championship, too. To have won Finland three times feels great. It's an incredible rally, very fast but everything went well this weekend.”

Jari-Matti Latvala finished third for Ford. He 21.1 seconds ahead of his Norwegian teammate Petter Solberg. Solberg, who finished fourth, racked up two extra points from the event's closing power stage.

“I was trying really hard all weekend but the times just weren't coming,” said the 27-year-old Latvala at the finish. “Citroën was very strong on this rally, and I struggled to know where to take the time out of Sébastien and Mikko without pushing too far. Then on the last stage, something broke on the front of the car and I lost quite a bit of time. I'm still pleased to have finished third but a little frustrated that I couldn't match the pace of the Citroën's.”

Norway's Mads Ostberg finished fifth after battling back in his privately run Ford Fiesta following a mechanical failure. Ott Tanak was sixth.

Monster World Rally Team's Ken Block was on course for a top-10 finish on his debut in Finland until a heavy landing on the final day resulted in a broken control arm bracket and a loss of steering.

“I was having a really great rally up until stage 14,” said Block. “I'd stayed consistent and clean through days one and two and we'd managed to work ourselves up seven positions yesterday from 17th to 10th overall. To have been in a points-scoring position here in Finland my first time ever is an incredible feeling. It's a shame that I got knocked out by a mechanical failure especially before I got to take a run on Ouninpohja: the classic stage of this rally.”

The championship now moves to Germany for the all-asphalt Rally Germany, Aug. 24-26.